People forget that Ali was also a very smart boxer and a devoted student of the ring. He would have solved Tyson weeks before the fight. As others have said, he would have had Tyson psyched by the weigh-in. People forget how blazing fast Ali was with both feet and hands. Few heavyweights have ever moved like he did. People forget that Ali was 6'3". (Tyson was 5'10") People forget Ali had a great reach (9 inches longer than Tyson) People forget that Ali was the youngest ever to win the Title by defeating the title holder when he beat Sonny Liston (Tyson became the youngest when he defeated, er, Trevor Berbick). It's not even close here folks. Ali was the smarter, more complete, more tested, much better fighter. I agree Foreman v. Tyson would have been fun to watch, but I think Foreman was better.
http://www.vnnforum.com/showthread.php?p=1175019 man this website is f-d up. was randomly searching Tyson and somehow ended up on this white supremist bs site. "A lot of these ****** boxers were taken to the cleaners by their Jew and ****** promoters and managers." Spoiler
they are equally hall of famers. they are equally champions. they both went to prisons. but Ali then survived and fought back, while Tyson continued to fall. Ali is much superior, mentally. Thus, Ali > Tyson.
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You're probably right about the combination of speed and strength, but Ali definitely faced people that could throw bombs as hard as Tyson : Shavers, Foreman, Liston, Norton, Lyle, etc. That's murderer's row right there. In the past I've read both Holmes and Ali said that nobody punched them harder than Ernie Shavers. Keep in mind who all Ali faced and that Holmes fought Tyson, and you'll understand the impact of that statement. The man hit like a warhead.
Don't really think you can compare the two. Tyson at the top of his game was as good as anyone to ever step in the ring. I don't think anyone would deny that. Due to the plethora of personal problems he experienced he wasn't able to stay at that level. People often try to make the claim that he had no technique, etc - but that's not the case, and anyone being honest with themselves knows it's true. He had it all - combos, stamina, power, *great* defense, a great chin, and speed. He just regressed as he aged. As a purely physical specimen Tyson was definitely superior. That being said, he had the advantage of modern medicine. Ali was the greatest boxer of his generation. When boxing was at its peak, he was running the show. As far as legacy goes, his is definitely the greatest. I think this is a hell of a lot closer than some of you guys are making it out to be. At their peaks, this fight could go either way.
they're all strong but not as fast and quick like MIke was in his prime. quick hands and quick head. sharp teeth also
At his prime, you basically had to box a perfect match to beat Tyson. One mistake, and he could beat you. At his prime, Ali was capable of boxing a perfect match. I think it would be closer than many of you believe, but I give the edge to Ali, based on superior ring smarts and a bit more reach. But honestly, it could go either way.
Uh, I would deny that. I thought that was what this thread was about. I'm actually surprised Tyson got any votes at all.
Using this, here are the results from a 12 round bout. Carlos Berrocal scores the fight 115-111....Muhammad Ali. Tommy Kazmarek scores the fight 113-112....Muhammad Ali. Anselmo Escobedo scores the fight 113-112....Muhammad Ali. The winner by unanimous decision is...Muhammad Ali! Tyson dominated the early rounds, opening up a deep cut over Ali's left eye in the second. But Ali withstood the barrage and began turning the fight around in the middle and later rounds knocking Tyson down in the 12th round. Certainly a real bout would have been interesting - the furious power of Tyson versus the overall excellence of Ali.
I'm not talking from a skill standpoint. I just don't think Lennox Lewis would have let Ali come close to him. Its the ridiculous length and patience. Klitscho is the same. It would just be a matchup problem.
Wtf? Tyson had below average stamina, suspect defense (that was all predicated on his offense, basically), and at best an average ability to absorb punches. His power and speed pretty much carried him, he did throw some pretty ridiculous combinations though.
At any point has matt bullard ever been considered the greatest basketball player in the world. For a time you could make a case tyson was best boxer on the planet. If you ever watch the old tyson fights you can see the head movement and the defensive skill he had. Unfortunately after cus d passed away a lot of these skills started eroding, before his physical talents did.
